Kate Jaspon is the Chief Financial Officer of Dunkin’ Brands. In this role, she is responsible for the global financial planning and analysis, accounting, financial reporting, business analytics, tax, debt and cash management, enterprise risk management, electronic payments, insurance and demand planning functions for domestic and international Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins.
Kate has lead Dunkin’ through a number of transactions including the Company’s IPO and follow-on equity offerings, securitization and numerous other debt transactions, the divestiture of a brand and several system implementations.
She also currently serves as the Audit Committee Chair of the Board of Directors for MOD Pizza.
Kate joined Dunkin’ Brands in December 2005 as Assistant Controller. She was later promoted to Vice President, Finance and Treasury and Corporate Controller, and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in June 2017.
Eight years prior to joining Dunkin’ Brands, Kate started her career with KPMG LLP, the international financial services corporation, culminating in a role as Senior Manager, where she supported both public and private companies as an auditor.
Kate earned a B.S. in Finance from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts and is a CPA licensed in Massachusetts.
She is drinkin’ a Dunkin’ Iced Coffee with skim milk and scoopin’ Baskin-Robbins Jamoca.
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Sneak Peek Into What You’ll Learn…
2:24 – Kate tells us about the path she took to become Chief Financial Officer, the evolving role of a CFO, and her leadership responsibilities at Dunkin’ Brands.
6:38 – Kate encourages you to surround yourself with people whose skill set complements yours. Kate shares professional development tips and emphasizes the importance of mentors and sponsors.
9:56 – Kate provides great advice on finding and approaching a sponsor. She also shares tips for women who might feel intimidated at the prospect of starting a sponsorship relationship.
14:36 – It began with an internship. Kate talks about her career journey and her time at KPMG.
20:23 – Taking a step backward or laterally can feel risky, but may also help you advance your career. Kate discusses her decision to take a step backward when she joined Dunkin’ and how she navigated it.
25:26 – Kate opens up about the things she would have liked to have done differently in her career. She speaks candidly about some of her challenges — struggles that so many of us can relate to — and how she overcame them.
29:42 – Kate talks about the habits that have been important in helping her become successful. She reveals what she’s looking forward to in her personal and professional life.
36:29 – Brass Tacks: The lightning round of concrete advice and tips.
Quotable quotes:
“I think it’s really important for people in a finance role to have a broad understanding of the day-to-day business and how it works.”
“Women tend to be over-mentored and under-sponsored.”
“Strong advice for females: make sure you have a sponsor. It’s not good enough to just have mentors. You really need to have both.”
“Family and work will always both be important and I actually don’t believe there is balance between the two.”
“Don’t run directly into the fire. Knowledge is power. Separate the emotion.”
“Your career is a marathon, not a sprint… Enjoy the journey.”
